


Tombac

by Merile



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Angst, Gen, How do you tag even, I tagged it as jacobi/kepler but there's not gonna be much romance tbh., M/M, i am trying comfort later on pls just trust me on that, i forgot it existed, so i guess it's gonna be more hurt than comfort but im not sure yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 14:34:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10721274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merile/pseuds/Merile
Summary: It starts just where the series leaves us: Eiffel tries to throw a funeral and aliens interrupt.  Or maybe: Jacobi contemplates the meaning of life, death and trust, and just really want to punch someone in the face. And then, there's Maxwell.aka. coping mechanisms after one of your favourite characters die.





	Tombac

Maxwell dies and it all could just end right now. 

Kepler doesn't seem to care and for once Jacobi doesn't want to know any better, put a blame onto somebody else that himself. He doesn't, a distant laugh of his boss vibrating in his ears, the smirk on his face all too wide. It wasn't worth it, all of this, Hilbert's death and Lovelace's blown up head, killing the little rebellion. It wasn't worth Maxwell because Maxwell was worth more than the stars and the universe combined, and if he could go back in time he would let the Russian scum live for another hundred years if he had to. 

They throw her a funeral. It's Eiffel's idea - it's always Eiffel's idea and Jacobi cannot understand how there is so much of humanity left in this guy after everything he's been through, after everything they've all been through. He doesn't have to; say anything about Maxwell, say anything about anyone for that matter. It was a war - small but sufficient and there are always victims, there are always people who didn't have to die and those who he would kill without a blink. 

Those are simple laws he has learnt long, long time ago. 

It's more like a parody than a funeral - speech that doesn't mean anything and AI who doesn't understand. Minkowski who interrupts in the middle and comes with an idea of explanation, words too high for anybody to care. Maxwell died so they can remember what it means to be alive? Bullshit, Jacobi wants to say. Maxwell died a pointless death that was more a statement than anything else, because Minkowski couldn’t prove herself other than killing someone who was tied up anyway. Maxwell died because Jacobi was too stupid to remember how adrenaline works on people and Kepler for once couldn't predict everything.

To be honest, Jacobi almost wants to laugh at all of this; Kepler standing in front of a body bag of a person he killed and Minkowski's trembling voice, guilt so so clear on her face. He wishes it gave him any satisfaction whatsoever. 

It doesn't. 

Instead, he hears oh-so-lovely captain Lovelace breathing again, Kepler's knowing smile on his face, bargaining information for freedom. Jacobi waits; waits till the dead rises, wait till it all goes away, till they almost fall into a star. It's a mess and everything turns red, everything crashes and there are aliens on the spaceship, what kind of sci-fi is that? Yet, all he can remember is his Colonel's face, the idiotic smirk of a person he has trusted with his life. 

The person he trusted with Maxwell's life. 

He would love just to think about this. Honest to God, he would love just to think about the meaning of trust and painfulness of dead, the higher causes and priorities. Or maybe, just this once, he would want to punch Kepler in the face. 

He doesn't have time though because as soon as Lovelace takes her (its?) first breath, something blows up, star generates extra radiation and both engines, and comms go crazy. There's panic, Minkowski screams something impossible to even hear in all the clutter. An alarm or two, or five flashes red and screams right into his ears, and Jacobi does even stutter, pushing himself in Kepler's' direction instead. Hera glitches and glitches, trying to report something to them but all they can hear are words stop short. It lasts for about ten seconds before everything goes static. 

Kepler smiles even wider. 

They look at each other for a second, Jacobi trying to guess any orders from the colonel’s face. Lovelace's breathing seems way louder now. "Eiffel, be so nice and open the bag, we don't want our dear captain to suffocate and die _again_ ," says Kepler in the nicest voice possible. And Eiffel does, without much hesitation, probably still in shock. "Commander, if you'd be so nice and uncuff Mister Jacobi right there unless you--" 

It's Lovelace's scream that interrupts him, her eyes actually emitting light, small hole on her head coming back together. That is too weird even for them and Jacobi, really, just needs a moment. And a glass of whisky. Kepler doesn't even blink. "Just on time," he says smugly as he predicted all of this long time ago and Jacobi tries to guess if he should be impressed, horrified or actually angry. 

He does all of three at once. 

It's only when Lovelace actually takes another breath, her eyes back to normal and blinking all too often when a rustle of the comms interrupts the silence. Radio noise hisses and hisses, before turning into another classical piece that name Jacobi never bothered to remember. 

"It's- a gift," says Eiffel's voice over the radio. "We- brought you a gift," the fucking aliens say over and over like a mantra as if they were trying to make sure they understood. "We hope- you enjoy-- her." 

And then it's just quiet. It’s all gone too quick and Jacobi cannot quite believe it is the big bang they were all waiting for. He looks at Kepler as if awaiting an explanation, but he cannot really read his expression. He keeps quiet, at least for now, some things might wait. 

"What the fuck?" says the real Eiffel, for once addressing what everybody must be thinking. 

"You have any explanation?" asks Minkowski, looking at Kepler. He smiles, sighs and points at not yet fully awake Lovelace. And then starts talking. 

It's long and complicated, and Jacobi's head hurts from all of the things he didn't know, from all the stuff that he would rather see in a dumb sci-fi novel than here, on a very real spaceship. There are aliens and cloning, and maybe, just maybe - says Kepler - if they work all nicely together (Minkowski scoffs) they can actually achieve something for the humanity. Jacobi kind of wants to laugh. He doesn't, though, not really listening to the colonel, because lies for Minkowski are lies for Minkowski, nothing more. It's not like she has any chance of actually getting home, Hera's help or not. There's only some time anybody can pull up with rebellion and if he is sure of anything, that must be Kepler's patience in situations like that. After all, it's not like anybody is going anywhere. 

They can wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to frenchrebellion (check her out on tumblr) aka my broest bro for introducing me to the podcast and then putting up with my constant spamming as well as checking the work!  
> Also thank you all for reading.  
> I cannot promise you much beside the fact that Jacobi's going to punch Kepler in the face sometime soon (it's decided).


End file.
